Karl Stefanovic caused quite a stir among his *Today* show colleagues this week 

when he humorously revealed a cheeky nickname for himself during a segment on managing home air conditioning costs.

While discussing how to keep cooling expenses down with financial expert Joel Gibson, Stefanovic’s comment had his co-hosts visibly cringing,

and the moment quickly became a talking point.

The segment began with Karl asking Joel for advice on the ideal air conditioning temperature.

Joel suggested that the most cost-effective and comfortable setting for the air conditioner would be 23 or 24 degrees Celsius.

He explained that this temperature was ideal for comfort and could help reduce electricity bills, as lowering the temperature any further would significantly increase costs. According to Joel, a drop of just one degree could add 10% to the household bills over the summer months.

Karl, however, wasn’t keen on this advice and revealed that when it comes to his bedroom, he prefers to crank the air conditioning down to 18 degrees.

“I have it 18 in the bedroom, because daddy gets hot,” Karl cheekily declared. The remark, which was meant as a playful comment, immediately left his colleagues, including co-host Sarah Abo, visibly uncomfortable.

Sarah groaned in reaction to Karl’s “daddy” remark, prompting Paul to jokingly suggest, “Daddy needs to try a ceiling fan.”

Sarah, clearly flustered by Karl’s use of the term, quickly interjected, saying, “Don’t encourage him with the daddy talk, we need to rule it out for 2025. No more daddy talk.” Despite her protest, Karl continued with his playful banter, repeating, “Daddy gets hot.”

Sarah was clearly exasperated, pleading with both Karl and viewers to stop hearing the nickname on air. “Karl, that’s enough,” she said, clearly hoping to move past the awkward moment.

Karl, however, was undeterred and even upped the ante by making a cheeky nod toward his wife, Jasmine. “I know someone who does,” he said, referring to his wife’s likely enjoyment of his nickname.

This only heightened the discomfort in the studio, with Sarah once again responding with a mock plea, “Stop it. You are so bad. She does not want to hear that.”

Karl’s playful teasing seemed to get the better of his co-hosts, as newsreader Jayne Azzopardi could be seen hiding her face in her hands in embarrassment.

Despite the reactions from his colleagues, Karl appeared to revel in the attention, laughing heartily and clapping his hands as he leaned into his “Daddy” persona.

A clip of the exchange quickly went viral on social media, shared by the *Today* show Instagram account with the caption, “This is our formal petition for Karl to stop calling himself ‘daddy.’”

However, the backlash didn’t seem to deter fans, some of whom embraced Karl’s cheeky behavior. One Instagram follower wrote, “Keep it up you legend. Never stop.

Big daddy always delivers.” Others chimed in with similar sentiments, praising Karl for keeping things lighthearted and fun. “Karl is the big daddy of today,” one fan commented, while another said, “This is why I watch the Today Show.

They report and comment the serious stuff and then there are segments that are light and funny! I start my day by getting the all-important news then having a laugh. Thank you!”

Despite the discomfort caused among his colleagues, Karl Stefanovic’s playful antics seemed to win over a portion of the audience.

His nickname for himself certainly added an unexpected layer of humor to the otherwise informative segment about air conditioning and summer expenses.

As for Sarah and the rest of the *Today* team, it seems the cheeky comments may be far from over, though fans will have to wait and see if Karl will heed Sarah’s plea to retire the “daddy” talk in 2025.